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Sunday, May 22, 2011

Hi friends, and welcome to my May Giveaway! But first I have to tell you about my new bag.

I was recently sent a gorgeous stack of fabric (plus a book and some cards!) from the Journeys collection by Kathy Davis. I have been wanting to make myself a new bag and had the Amy Butler book, Style Stitches, (affiliate link) checked out of the library. I decided to make myself the Teardrop Bag using some of the Journeys fabric:

(I didn't get photos taken when the bag was brand new because I made it in a rush before vacation. It's a little bit broken in here--it's been a great bag and I really like it!)

My thoughts on the pattern and the bag--
*I used the recommended Shapeflex interfacing; next time I might try a stiffer interfacing or interline the bag with stiffer canvas or use fusible fleece instead. (It's a little floppy.)
*There is an error in the book for the larger sized Teardrop bag. If you want to make this bag, check out the correction for the pattern on this page.
*I followed the pattern for the handle and it turned out too narrow for my tastes, so I made another one and widened it.
*I found some good tips on inserting magnetic snaps here. I used 2 layers of interlock knit to reinforce the snap pieces, instead of fleece.
*I sewed some dividing seams in the pocket, you can sort of see them in this pic:

My phone fits just right in that center pocket.
*The strap. I lengthened the strap so I could wear it cross-body but I don't think I got it quite right. Someday I need to figure out how to make an adjustable-length strap.
*And, I used sewn-in interfacing on one side of the strap and added some sturdiness by using a layer of twill fabric in place of interfacing the other side of the strap fabric.

Ok, you made it! The folks from Kathy Davis Designs would also like to give a set of these fabrics to one of my readers. The giveaway includes:

Half-yard cuts of the following fabrics (this was my set, obviously I've used some of them):

I like all of these... but I LOVE the text fabric, and the dragonflies are my favorite, too! The large floral in the top row is also super pretty.

Also included in the giveaway is the book Scatter Joy, along with a pile of gorgeous greeting cards, all by Kathy Davis as well.

(The giveaway does not include the bag!)

**The giveaway is closed now, thanks so much! Winner will be posted in the morning!**

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment below (one comment per person.) I'd love it if you tell me something interesting, but it's not required. :D I will choose the winner via random number generator on May 25, and the folks at Kathy Davis Studios will mail the prize to the winner. Don't forget to make sure I have a way to contact you! If you are a no-reply commenter, include your email address in your comment!

If you are interested, here are a few more places you can find out about Kathy Davis Designs and her products:

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comments:

The fabrics are all so pretty! I love the bag too. An adjustable strap would be great to learn to do! Something interesting? I've entered the Giveaway day too for my first giveaway on my blog. It's kind of exciting!

Very generous giveaway - thanks so much for the chance. :) Something interesting? Hmmm... sorry, can't think of anything - I'm up way too late looking at the Giveaway Day blogs and my brain has shut down for the day. :(

Love the bag and I appreciate the 'notes'. I am thinking of making a camera bag and these tips may come in handy. Something interesting? I am starting a vacation on Thursday! Well, interesting to me, anyway!

Thanks for doing a giveaway! The fabric is beautiful, but I'm almost more excited about the cards!! I LOVE stationery and I think I'm one of the few people who still regularly writes hand-written letters! (Is that interesting?)

Your bag is lovely - have you checked out the Bag Making Bible - it's fabulous. I'm loving these fabrics but I've never seen them before!

Something interesting?The most expensive swimsuit in the world is a bikini that is worth $30 million dollars. Designed by Susan Rosen and Steinmetz Diamonds, the bikini is made with more than 150 carats of D flawless diamonds which are all set in platinum.

Hi! I'm new around here.. and to quilting but i'm good in sewing.. still on the singer my mom gave me 15 years ago!!I use to do pattern grading work!Now i do only creativ work!! Buying a house in the countryside with my lover and hoping to have children!! AGH!!! Is it a bit interresting!??lol

Your bag is so cute and I love the fabric! I love Amy Buttler and I have made on of her bag's. I'v carried it all summer for two years and it is starting to look pretty sad I really need to make a new one.

You should be a pattern tester-your hints were great. I get a little fed up when I'm using a pattern, and it doesn't come together so great & I need to make changes! I'm not familiar with Kathy Davis so thanks for the links-the fabrics are really nice!

Those fabrics are just gorgeous--I'm sure they are even prettier in person. Can't think of anything interesting, feeling kind of worn out. I went to bed late, and then woke up in a total panic because I was sure I had overslept. Jumped out of bed, hopped in the shower, when I got out I looked at the clock. I had woken up at 4:15 AM, when I didn't need to be out of bed until 6:30. Wow! FAIL! Got all the chores done though, and now I can play on the computer! Not too interesting, but it's all I have on this Monday morning.Thank you for participating in Giveaway Day!

The bag is beautiful - you did a great job and I LOVE those fabrics! I am a handquilter and have been for 12 years and just now venturing into purse making and I love it! Love how fast they work up and I've learned that quilting fabric works on purses as well as quilts! Have a great day and Happy Stitching!

The most interesting thing I can think of right now is that my little Boston Terrier Miles is getting neutered tomorrow :0( So dog lovers please send him happy healing thoughts and send me fabric! :0)Thanks for the great fabric selection in the giveaway!

Cute bag! Something interesting...My doggie (who normally hates being in the rain) apparently thought the joy of rolling on bugs outweighed her dislike of being wet. So now I have a wet, stinky dog. Sleeping on the quilt I had just finished and washed.

I would like to make a keyboard cover with the fabric. We have somewhere around 20 guitars and 4 keyboards and microphones and amps and a ukulele. I would like to make some sort of dust cover for each of them, eventually. Thanks for the fabulous giveaway!

Gorgeous fabrics! Something interesting...I am wondering if I can somehow move my crafting room outdoors this summer, becuase I looooove sitting at my sewing machine, but also love sitting in the sunshine. There's my random thought for the day! Thanks for the chance to win!

Interesting, eh? I have always used universal needles for sewing cottons and for piecing, but I found out that sharps (or denim needles) are actually the recommended needle for woven fabrics because the sharp point finds its way between the fibers without punching a big hole. Universal is kind of an in-between type needle that isn't the best for anything, so I'm using up my current stash and then I'm gonna switch over to sharps.

Love them all! Thanks for hosting such a great giveaway. I'm expecting a baby girl this fall, so for every giveaway I enter today I am thinking of all the beautiful things I could make for a baby girl. I think that these pastel blues and greens look especially lovely on little girls. Thanks again!

something interesting...after 4 years, I'm finally making our master bedroom 'ours' by hanging things up, getting a few pieces of furniture to complete it, and purging all the 'stuff'.ourbusylittlebunch(at)hotmail(dot)com

All I can think about right now is how yesterday our tennis team was in the City Finals in Atlanta. We came in 2nd but it was an amazing experience with lots of supporters there and of course, it was over 90 and humid!

I have recently started making bags from recycled clothing and bits and pieces I find- mostly for my own amusement but perhaps I will make millions selling them one day. You fabrics would be lovely additions to my creations.wehdyhatton(at)yahoo(dot)com(dot)au

Those fabrics are gorgeous. Not very interesting, I know, everybody's saying it. Here's the interesting thing: I'm doing a presentation at a 10,000+ attendee academic conference this fall about prayer shawls!

I don't know if this qualifies as interesting, but I'm embarking on a new sewing project soon. I'm going to attempt to make a whole set of crib bedding for baby #3! Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!

Awesome giveaway! Those fabrics are gorgeous. I made a few purses recently, too, and decided that stiffer interfacing would improve them. I also learned that aligning magnetic snaps is much easier if you attach the snaps, close them, and THEN sew around the lining (all but the opening for turning the bag right side out). You may already know this trick, but I really loved learning it!ammieloris (at) hotmail (dot) com

I love your bag. I think spring and summer bags can be a little floppy. I love the selection of fabrics. I am just starting to follow several quilting blogs and I love this sense of community. I hope it continues. Thanks for hosting such a lovely giveaway.

Hello,This is a new designer to me. I really love that fabric with the writing on it. My daughter and I are making camera bags. This would be great fabric for those. I think the camera bag pattern has those adjustable straps. We are just cutting now, so sorry I can't share how to do that. I think it has to do with rings.

Your purse and the fabrics are sooo pretty. Quilting is my favorite pastime but I seem to do more sewing for my grandchildren and embroidering burp cloths and other items and don't get to quilt nearly as much as I'd like. Guess it just makes me appreciate it more:)

Thanks for the lovely giveaway! I don't know how interesting this is, just some random info about me... but in 2 weeks I'll be moving to a town that was just destroyed by an EF-5 tornado. Hoping to help rebuild.

Did you know the George Muller built 5 large orphanages without ever asking for money outside of his prayer to God and while being a poor man himself? I thought this was interesting when I saw a movie about his life.

My hubbie and I dated for a year when I was a senior in high school and a freshman in college. Then we didn't see each other for 9 years! Ran back into each other and 1 1/2 years later we were married!

I need to stop check these blogs, get dressed for the day and get going but what a great opportunity to visit so many great sites and see so many ideas. I've sure had fun.bc(underscore)hats(at)hotmail(dot)com

Oh my gosh I LOVE that purse. I still need to find money to buy that book you got the pattern from. I've seen so many adorable things made from Amy's book. Your purse is beautiful. The fabrics are gorgeous. What a great giveaway.

Hmmmmmm something interesting about me? I got to "retire" when I was 43 yrs old. :) Unfortuntately it was because of health problems but it still means I can sew all day long if I want to so that's a big plus.

Something interesting, hum...my sister got married this past Saturday. It was a very exhausting experience. Yesterday at work, my building received a bomb threat, and we had to evaucate by word of mouth. Very scary!

Well, I don't know how interesting it is, but my one year old computer died last night in the middle of visiting all the SMS giveaways. I've now been on the phone with Dell for almost two hours attempting to get it repaired. Using my old, ancient, slow backup at the moment while waiting for yet another callback. Yawn. Thanks for participating in the giveaway! I need fabric therapy to get over my computer stress.